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AL Division Series Preview - Detroit vs. N.Y.

(Sports Network) - The New York Yankees begin their quest towards a 27th World Series title on Tuesday when they welcome the Detroit Tigers to the Bronx for Game 1 of the best-of-five American League Division Series.

Armed with baseball's highest payroll and a roster chock full of All-Stars, the Yankees finished the 2006 campaign tied for the major league lead with 97 wins and won a ninth straight AL East title.

Early on, though, it didn't look like it would be that easy for Joe Torre's crew as injuries ravaged the team with outfielders Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield missing a majority of the season with wrist ailments.

Derek Jeter, like he always seems to do, though, rose to the occasion and produced his finest season as a Yankee and could very well be on his way to his first AL MVP award. The captain finished second in the AL batting race to Minnesota's Joe Mauer with a .344 average and was near the top in almost every offensive category.

As good as Jeter was, the biggest reason the Yanks are back in the postseason came at the July 31 trade deadline when general manager Brian Cashman acquired right fielder Bobby Abreu and right-hander Cory Lidle from the Philadelphia Phillies for what amounted to a bag of balls in a deal that was strictly a salary dump.

Abreu has been an absolute perfect fit for the Yankees patient lineup and hit .330 with seven homers and 42 RBI and 37 runs scored in just 58 games.

However, the Yankees do have question marks surrounding their pitching staff heading into the postseason. Randy Johnson has back troubles and Mariano Rivera pitched sparingly down the stretch due to a forearm injury. Both seem to be ready to go, but if they are not right the heavy favorite tag the Yanks sport will disappear.

Detroit, meanwhile, limps into the postseason, as it became the 18th team since 1900 to fall out of first place on the final day of the regular season. The Tigers also became the first to so by losing a game in which it led by more than three runs and the second to do so by losing to a last-place team.

The other was the 1944 Tigers, who were defeated by the last-place Senators on the final day of the season and overtaken for the American League pennant by the St. Louis Browns.

The feel-good story of the 2006 season, the Tigers were in first place since mid-May and were up by as many as 10 games at one point before relinquishing it to the Minnesota Twins in heartbreaking fashion on the final day of the regular season.

Needing only one win Detroit lost its last five games and blew a six-run lead to hapless Kansas City at home on Sunday, as the Royals rallied to complete a three- game sweep with an extra inning win.

Either way, though, Detroit's success this season cannot be overlooked. Manager Jim Leyland brought credibility back to the franchise and it translated on the field, as the Tigers won 95 games -- a 24-game improvement from 2005.

Rookie Justin Verlander burst upon the scene and tied for the team lead in wins with 17 with the ageless Kenny Rogers, while pitching to a 3.63 ERA. He combined with Jeremy Bonderman and Nate Robertson give the Tigers some of the best young pitching in the league and their best chance at winning this series.

However, the Yankees dominated the season series between the two, winning five of the seven contests, while outscoring the Tigers 38-23.

LINEUP

The Yankees enter the playoffs with perhaps the greatest lineup in the history of the postseason with an All-Star or a former All-Star at every position.

Johnny Damon gets it all started at the top and is the first true leadoff man for the team since the days of Chuck Knoblauch. Damon's first year in pinstripes was a god one, as he hit .285 with 24 homers, 80 RBI and 115 runs scored.

Jeter hits second and is followed by Abreu, Sheffield, Jason Giambi, Alex Rodriguez, Matsui, Jorge Posada and Robinson Cano.

Rodriguez, the league's reigning MVP, was booed often at Yankee Stadium, as his knack for coming up empty in clutch situations reared its ugly head. A- Rod, though, still hit .290 with 35 homers and 121 RBI and can turn the Bronx crowd in his favor with a strong October.

Sheffield, who hit just .250 after returning from wrist surgery, will be Torre's first baseman to open the playoffs, while Giambi will serve as the team's designated hitter.

Cano came into his own this season and battled for a batting title right up to the last day, as he hit .342 and finished third in the race. It just goes to show you how deep the lineup is when Cano, who belted 15 homers with 78 RBI, is hitting ninth.

While not as powerful as the Yankees lineup, the Tigers do have some pop.

Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Guillen are the two that drive the Tiger offense. The two Venezuelan natives hit a combined .355 (49-for-138) with nine homers and 25 RBI after September 1.

Ordonez and Guillen, who usually bat fourth and fifth, respectively, provide excellent protection for No. 3 hitter Ivan Rodriguez, who is still one of the best defensive catchers in the game.

Rodriguez, who won a world series title over the Yankees with the Florida Marlins in 2003, along with first baseman Sean Casey are also the source of leadership for the young Tigers.

If Detroit is going to have any success this October they will need more from Craig Monroe, who hit just .188 in September. However, nearly half of his 28 home runs this season have come in the seventh inning or later.

Having a healthy Placido Polanco back for the postseason will do wonders for this team. Polanco missed nearly a month with a separated shoulder, but returned in late September. The Tigers are a completely different team with him in the lineup.

If you are looking for a breakout player of this postseason how about the Tigers' leadoff hitter Curtis Granderson. In his first full big league season Granderson hit .260 with a 19 homers and 68 RBI, while playing a stellar center field in spacious Comerica Park.

EDGE: YANKEES

STARTING PITCHING

The Yankees figure to go with a rotation of Chien-Ming Wang, Mike Mussina,and Randy Johnson for the opening three games, with Jaret Wright going in a possible fourth game. The Tigers will counter with Nate Robertson, Verlander and Rogers with Jeremy Bonderman being pushed back to a possible game four.

Wang (19-6, 3.63) was the Yankees most reliable starter this season. He is a groundball machine that possesses one of the best sinkers in the game. Wang won six of his last seven decisions and was tied with Minnesota's Johan Santana for the major league lead in wins.

The 26-year-old Taiwanese right-hander, who received a loss in last year's ALDS, scattered three hits over 7 2/3 scoreless innings the last time he faced the Tigers and is 3-0 lifetime against them with a 2.52 ERA in four starts.

Mussina (15-7, 3.51) was bothered periodically by a groin strain during the regular season, but appears to be OK and is coming off a great start in his last regular season appearance on Friday against Toronto, which managed just a run and two hits off of him in six innings.

The 37-year-old right-hander has been sensational in his career against the Tigers, posing a 17-5 mark to go along with a 2.50 ERA.

Johnson is obviously the biggest question mark heading into the postseason for the Yanks. However, even at 75-80-percent he is still a better option for the Yanks than Wright or Lidle.

The 43-year-old five-time Cy Young award winner allowed five runs in each of his last three starts and ended the campaign 17-11 with a 5.00 ERA.

Johnson, though, defeated the Tigers twice this season and had one of his finest starts of the year against them on Memorial Day, when he carried a no- hitter into the sixth inning and allowed just two hits over six scoreless innings. For his career he is 10-7 against the Tigers with a 4.04 ERA in 19 starts.

If a fourth starter is needed it will likely be Wright, who was inconsistent to say the least all season and ended the campaign 11-7 with a 4.49 ERA.

Robertson (13-13, 3.84) could be the key for the Tigers. If the Yankees have one weakness it is that their incredible lineup has not fared well against left-handers.

The 29-year-old Robertson, though, lost twice to the Yankees this season and pitched to a 4.60 ERA in doing so.

Getting the call in Game 2 will be Verlander, who could be on his way to a Rookie of the Year award. The No. 2 pick of the 2004 First-Year Player Draft, Verlander has emerged as one of the best young power pitchers in the game. His fastball has been clocked as high as 99 mph, and that mixed in with a plus curveball and a decent changeup make him almost unhittable when all three are working

Verlander, though, was battered by the Yankees in his only start against them, as he allowed six runs and seven hits in five innings.

The veteran Rogers, who was credited with the loss in Sunday's heart-breaking defeat, will more than likely be the team's starter for a Game 3. While serving as a mentor to the Tigers' young staff, Rogers had a great season, as he was 17-8 wit a 3.84 ERA.

Rogers is no stranger to the Yankees, as he pitched for them during their run to the 1996 world series title. However, he is just 5-7 lifetime against them with four saves and a 6.45 ERA in 35 games, 14 of which have been starts.

If Rogers is not Leyland's choice for the third game then it will be Jeremy Bonderman, who was 14-8 this season with a 4.08 ERA.

EDGE: TIGERS

BULLPEN

In any other year the Yankees would have the edge here just based on the fact that Rivera is on the roster. There are injury concerns, though. With that said if Rivera is healthy it just makes the Yanks more unbeatable.

Scott Proctor will be the man Torre counts on in a big spot, while Mike Myers will be called upon to get a lefty out. Kyle Farnsworth, who struggled at times, is Torre's set-up man and could be used as the team's closer if Rivera is not right.

Lidle will also be used, as well as Ron Villone, who must be better than his 27.00 ERA in nine September appearances.

Detroit may have the deepest bullpen of the eight teams in the postseason. Veteran closer Todd Jones saved 37 games, and while he may not be as dominating as Rivera he gets the job done.

Jones is set up by 21-year-old right-handed fireballer Joel Zumaya, who regularly hits 100 mph on the radar gun. Fernando Rodney, Jamie Walker and Jason Grilli all give Leyland plenty of other talented options for the late innings.

Rookie Zach Miner will be Leyland's long relief option. Miner won six of his first seven decisions this season, but he struggled after the All-Star break, going 1-5 in nine starts.

EDGE: TIGERS

BENCH

The Yankees have one of the greatest postseason players to ever play in Bernie Williams coming off the bench. Williams, who signed for one season in what was expected to be a limited role, played more than expected and had a solid year but will be used primarily as a pinch-hitter in what could be his final go- around with the team.

Melky Cabrera filled in admirably for the two injured outfielders this season and would probably be a starter on almost any other team. These are the Yankees, though, and he will be best served as a late-inning defensive replacement or a pinch-runner.

The Tigers also have capable bench players. Omar Infante is a strong-gloved infielder who can fill in at a number of spots and is a capable pinch-runner. When not being used as the DH, Matt Stairs is an excellent option off the bench late in games. Overall offensively, though, Detroit's supporting cast is average at best.

EDGE: YANKEES

MANAGERS

Leyland will undoubtedly win the AL Manager of the Year award and already has a world Series title to his credit with the 1997 Florida Marlins. After years of futility, Leyland was the perfect manager to get the young Tigers back on track.

However, there is nobody better in the postseason than Torre. With four world series titles already under his belt Torre's best managerial job may have come this year in his 11th season with the club, which is by the way the longest uninterrupted tenure of any Yankee skipper since Casey Stengel (1949-60).

Torre, though, has mastered quite possibly the most demanding job in not only baseball, but all of sports. As good as Leyland is, it would be foolish to bet against Torre in a big spot.

EDGE: YANKEES

PROGNOSIS

As always it is world series or bust for the Yankees. Anything else, especially a second straight ALDS loss, would be looked at as a catastrophic disaster.

The Tigers maybe the best story in baseball and with that young pitching they are likely to perennial playoff contenders. However, their magical run will come to an end in a big way this week.

New York's lineup is just too good and while the Yankees are focused on winning a world series title, the Tigers have already won by just being in the postseason. Even with the way Detroit finished the regular season and the ouster they are about to get, this season still has be looked as a rousing success for Leyland's Tigers when it is all said and done.

Prediction: YANKEES IN THREE

Source: www.intwebnews.com

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AL Division Series Preview - Detroit vs. N.Y.

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